ANDREI AKULOV | 22.09.2016 | WORLD
China Joins Russia in Syria: Shaping New
Anti-Terrorist Alliance
The US has failed to fulfil its commitments in
accordance with the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in
Syria. On September 19, Syrian government forces said they were pulling out of
the agreement in view of multiple violations by the rebels the United States
was responsible for. On September 17, the US-led coalition delivered air
strikes against Syrian government forces near the eastern city of Deir
ez-Zor in gross violation of the deal.
The failure to keep its side of the bargain has put
into question the credibility of the United States and raised the issue of
America’s future role in the post-conflict peacebuilding. With Turkey, a US
NATO ally, padding its own canoe and US-supported rebels hurling
insults at American special
operators, the clout of the United States in Syria seems to be far from being
overwhelming.
With its credibility greatly damaged, America can
hardly be viewed as a reliable partner anymore.
The US is certainly not the only major player in the
field. With the government of Bashar Assad firmly in power, the post-war
settlement is no longer seen as a pipe dream but Washington will hardly be the
one to call all the shots.
In a major policy shift, China has launched the pivot
to the Middle East aimed at increasing its involvement in the region by
providing military training and humanitarian aid in Syria. In April, China
appointed a special envoy to Damascus in order to work toward a peaceful
resolution to the conflict.
Before the assignment Chinese envoy Xie Xiaoyan
had praised «Russia’s military role in the war, and said
the international community should work harder together to defeat terrorism in
the region».
On August 14, Rear-Admiral Guan Youfei, the head of
the Office for International Military Cooperation under the Central Military
Commission that oversees China’s 2.3 million-member armed forces, visited Syria to meet Syrian Defence Minister Fahd
Jassim Al Freij and Russian Lieutenant-General Sergei Chvarkov, head of the
ceasefire monitoring mission in Syria, as well as Russian top commanders at the
Hmeimim military base on the Syrian coast. The visit marks a major milestone in
the relationship to make Beijing a party to the conflict.
During the visit, China and Syria announced plans to
boost military cooperation, including training and humanitarian aid, signaling
stronger Chinese support for Damascus. It is the first public visit by a senior
Chinese military officer to the country since the Russian armed forces launched
its operation in Syria last September.
According to the Global Times, published
by the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily, Beijing
had already deployed special advisers and military personnel in Syria by the
time of the historic visit and provided the Syrian military with sniper rifles
and rocket launchers. No doubt, the visit was a diplomatic poke in the eye for
the United States amid mounting tensions over territorial disputes in the South
China Sea.
The Chinese entry into the war is caused by the
increasing number of Chinese Muslim Uighur militants fighting alongside Syrian
rebels in the country’s north. Rear-Admiral Guan Youfei said over 200 Uighurs
was currently fighting in Syria. China wants them to be either put on trial at
home or exterminated on the Syrian battlefield. Its concern is justified.
Today there is a Uyghur neighborhood in Ar-Raqqah, and
the Islamic State (IS) group publishes a newspaper especially for its members.
Besides, geostrategic stability in the Middle East important for the
implementation of the Chinese «One Belt, One Road» strategy aimed at
facilitating Eurasian economic connectivity through the development of a web of
infrastructure and trade routes linking China with South Asia, Central Asia,
the Middle East and Europe.
The current fracturing of the Middle East as a result
of the Syrian crisis hinders the efforts to bring this project into life. Last
year, China altered the national legislation to allow the deployment of its security forces abroad as part of a
counterterrorism effort.
China may play a key role in Syria’s post-conflict economic recovery.
Despite the war, China National Petroleum Corporation still holds shares in two
of Syria’s largest oil producers: The Syrian Petroleum Company and Al-Furat
Petroleum Company, while Sinochem also holds substantial shares in various
Syrian oil fields. In December, China offered Syria $6 billion worth of investments in
addition to $10 billion worth of existing contracts, as well as a big deal
signed between the Syrian government and Chinese telecommunications giant
Huawei to rebuild Syria’s telecom infrastructure as part of China’s $900
billion ‘Silk Road’ infrastructure initiative.
In March Syrian President Bashar Assad said that Russia, Iran and China will be given
priority in the post-war reconstruction plans.
China is not the only world power to boost the
contacts with the Syria’s government. On August 20, just six days after the
Chinese top military official held talks with Syria government officials and
Russian military commanders, Indian Foreign Minister Mobasher Jawed Akbar
visited Damascus to demonstrate India's support for the Syrian government in
the conflict. The two countries agreed to upgrade their security consultations.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has invited India to
play an active role in the reconstruction of the Syrian economy. It should be
noted that the recent trilateral meeting of the presidents of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan
has given a new impetus to the implementation of the North-South transport
corridor project.
Syria is located in the proximity of this corridor
which, according to the plans, is to become a center for the integration of the
vast region, including the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia and
Northern Europe, with India joining the project.
Russia, China and India enjoy good working relations
with Iran - a big regional power involved in the Syria’s conflict.
On a wider regional scale, the teaming up of the big
countries does indicate how, at some point in future, a regional anti-terrorism
entity or even a military block independent from the United States might emerge
to counter the threat of terrorism.
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